The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Gunslinger is the first installment of The Dark Tower Series written by Stephen King. The book was originally published June 10, 1982. The story centers on Roland Deschain and his pursuit of the Man in Black. The subtitle of this book is RESUMPTION. Synopsis The book opens by introducing the gunslinger, Roland Deschain, who is after the Man in Black. As he ventures across the desert with his mule he meets a farmer who goes by the name of Brown with his crow, Zoltan. The gunslinger begins to tell of the time he spent in the town of Tull. When Roland first comes to Tull he has missed the man in black possibly by a week. It is later revealed to Roland by the barmaid, Alice, that during his stay the man in black brought an old weed eater, by the name of Nort, back to life. Roland makes Alice into his lover while in the town and decides to investigate what trap the man in black might have left for him. During his stay Roland encounters Sylvia Pittston, the local pastor. Sylvia reveals to Roland she is pregnant with the man in black's child (more importantly the child of the Crimson King). Roland uses his gun and rapes the unborn monstrosity out of Sylvia. Outraged, Sylvia convinces the entire town of Tull that Roland is the spawn of the devil. Roland guns down the entire town of Tull: men; women; children; and even his lover, Alice. The story refocuses on Roland at the dwelling of Brown. Roland goes to sleep and wakes up to Brown telling him his mule died of heat exhaustion and wonders if he can eat it. Roland leaves on foot to continue his pursuit of the man in black. As his journey continues Roland happens upon a way station and sees someone there in the distance. Roland believes this to be the man in black but finds out it is a young boy by the name of Jake Chambers. Roland is near death when he arrives at the way station and Jake brings him jerky and water from an atomic slug water pump. Jake tells Roland that the Man in Black passes by a few days before. The way Jake talks reveals that he is not from Roland's world. Roland asks Jake about where he came from but Jake cannot remember anything. Roland proceeds to hypnotize Jake and learn about where he came from. Jake reveals to Roland that he is from New York and was on his way to school when a man dressed like a priest snuck up on him and pushed him into the street. Roland believes this man is the Man in Black. Jake is then hit by a car and dies but not before the priest approaches him and blesses him. After leaving the way station, Jake and Roland eventually make their way out of the desert into more welcoming lands. Roland rescues Jake from an encounter with an oracle, and then couples with the oracle himself in order to learn more about his fate and path to the Dark Tower. Roland gives Jake the jawbone from the way station to focus on while he is gone. After Roland returns, Jake discards the jawbone. As Jake and Roland make their way closer to the mountain, Jake begins to fear what will become of him. In a flashback, we learn about Roland's chance encounter in a kitchen which leads to the hanging of Hax, the cook. The apprentice gunslingers are allowed to witness the hanging with their fathers' permission. Roland reveals how he was tricked into calling out his teacher Cort early, through the treachery of Marten. He succeeded in defeating Cort in battle through his ingenious weapon selection - his hawk, David. Jake and Roland make their way into the twisting tunnels below the mountain, propelled along by an ancient mine cart. During the journey, they are attacked by the "Slow Mutants", monstrous subterranean creatures. Roland fights the Slow Mutants off and they proceed. Eventually they find the Man in Black, and as Jake dangles precariously from the tracks, Roland comes to a pivotal choice; save Jake or pursue the Man in Black. Roland chooses to follow the Man in Black and Jake falls to his death. Just before he falls, Jake tells Roland: "Go then, there are other worlds than these." After sacrificing Jake in the mountain, Roland makes his way down to speak to the man in black. The man in black reads Roland's fate from a pack of cards, including "the sailor" (Jake), "the prisoner" (Eddie Dean) "the lady of shadows" (Susannah Dean), "death" (but not for Roland), and the Tower itself, as the center of everything. The man in black states that he is merely a pawn of Roland's true enemy, the one who now controls the Dark Tower itself. The man in black creates a representation of the universe, attempting to frighten Roland by showing him how truly insignificant he is in the grand scheme of things, and asks him to give up his quest. Roland refuses, and is made to fall asleep by the man in black. When he wakes up, ten years have passed and there is a skeleton next to him — what he assumes to be the man in black. Roland then sits on the edge of the Western Sea, contemplating the three people he now is charged with bringing into Mid-World - the Prisoner, the Lady of Shadows, and the Pusher. Category:The Books